by Isabel Wroth
He sucked her lower lip between his teeth, biting down just enough to give her the tiniest sting of pain.
It flashed through her, straight down to where her sex was pressed tight against his, feeling her body give a wicked pulse of heat when his tongue slipped out to soothe the little hurt. A gentle, soft stroke that stole her breath.
She felt the depth of his satisfaction clear as day, layered with burning desire and feelings of certainty and possession.
His thoughts had turned to the most basic, primal needs, held back by the thinnest veil of civility. He wanted her with such an intensity it was almost frightening, but the one thing Ilaria was able to sense clear as day, was his need to protect and please her.
Ilaria heard herself panting as he nibbled his way down her chin to her jaw, raking her skin gently, taking hold of her pounding pulse with enough pressure to make her feel how it raced.
The careful bite made her gasp and shudder, moaning softly as he laved the spot with his tongue. She had never considered her throat to be so sensitive or vulnerable to such an erotic feeling, but it was.
She knew if he devoted any more time to pressing his hot, open-mouthed kisses to her throat and the exposed skin of her shoulder—gods, behind her ear—she would shatter into a thousand pieces.
~I want you to move to my quarters. I need you there.
Overwhelmed with desire, half mad with it, Ilaria would have agreed to practically anything Satesh asked of her, but the ache in his voice called her out from under his spell.
Her lashes were almost too heavy to lift, but she fought her way out of the sensual fog to bring his face into view.
His eyes were liquid with passion, lit from behind and practically burning with intensity, searching her face as though trying to gauge her reaction.
~There is plenty of room for you and Aley, and time for us to become accustomed to one another.
She licked her swollen lips, fighting not to smile when his gaze dropped to follow the movement, his nostrils flaring in response.
Satesh spoke of how much better he felt when he was near she and Aley, and he was not alone in that feeling. Ilaria felt the strongest when the three of them shared the same space, their energy flaring together.
It was like the power of the universe flowed through both of them and into her without her actively having to reach for it, and later when she practiced her daily meditations, she could see the beautiful colors of their aura still wrapped around her like ribbons decorating her flesh.
Her cells soaked up the deep greens and silvers from Aley, and the crimson and golds from Satesh like they were starving for moisture, and their energy was the cool water they needed.
Ilaria felt it now, the powerful thrum of Satesh’s sexual energy in every single cell and organ, but more, she felt him. His heart and soul, reaching out to her as though they too wanted to hold her.
~I would like that very much, but there is something I need to do for Aley tonight and—
~Can it be done in my quarters? He interrupted, his hands tightening on her hips like he feared she was about to withdraw and struggled to let her.
Ilaria carded her fingers through the long, thick strands of his hair, traced her fingertip along the gold hoops and bars at his left ear, wondering why the right was pierced with only a single stud.
Their connection was strong despite its newness. So much so, Satesh was able to hear her curious thoughts.
~Before I inherited my position as leader of the caravan, I was one of the mercenary force. My squad was in high demand, and the hoops represent hostage retrieval or rescue missions we completed. The bars represent battles we survived. The studs are reminders of evil men we killed.
Ilaria counted twenty small hoops, fifteen bars, and eight studs. The stud in his right lobe seemed newer than the rest, and when she touched it, she felt a spike of rage and grief.
~Margen?
Satesh gave a tight nod, his throat working loudly in the silence surrounding them. He drew in a ragged breath so deep, his chest expanded enough to rasp against her breasts, staring at her as he waited for her reaction.
Ilaria was not sorry Margen and the rest of the Mystresses within her palace were gone. After everything the sadistic queen had done to the Matavei, Ilaria could only be grateful they were no longer a threat.
She leaned forward and touched a kiss to the piercing in thanks, heartsick for the terrible loss that had brought Satesh to Myst, but grateful to be alive and free. Satesh shuddered roughly beneath her, his breath hot across her throat.
~Yes, what I have planned can be done in your quarters. It would be very much appreciated if you would be there to help.
~I will be there.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Satesh~
Ilaria had placed the plush blankets from her new bed on the floor of his small common room, the furniture pushed against the walls to make more room for whatever she had planned.
Satesh saw how her eyes softened for Aley, and jealousy hit him hard when Ilaria reached out to cup Aley's mutilated face. There was affection in the touch, but no hint of sensuality or any indication to say what the nest of linens was for.
Satesh ground his teeth together, fully aware his jealousy was extremely irrational. Ilaria had told him earlier she felt for him, was drawn to him, and she had agreed to share his quarters knowing eventually she would share his bed.
Yet to see her being so tender and gentle with Aley, and after sharing their ravenous kisses, knowing now what it felt like to feel her inside him, he struggled.
Whatever bond might grow between them, it would never be like the one she shared with Aley. Rationally, he knew there was nothing wrong with that, but as of now all they had were a few hours’ worth of time spent alone, and he craved more.
He felt no animosity toward Aley, no desire to rip him away from Ilaria, but waiting for her invitation to join them was excruciating.
"Are you strong enough?" Aley's question drew Satesh from his silent seething.
Ilaria nodded, the smile fading as she grew serious, her gaze searching back and forth across Aley's face.
"I will be fine. You understand I am not doing this because I find you unattractive or painful to look upon, don't you?"
"I would not blame you if you did find me hideous. I am." Aley answered tactfully.
Ilaria scowled. "You have always been beautiful to me, Aley. I do this because I wish to erase the pain it causes you. I cannot bear that you carry scars from injuries and injustices suffered at the hands of others."
An intimate moment, more intimate than any Satesh had witnessed before, passed between them.
Aley bent and lay his brow against Ilaria's whispering harshly. "I would suffer this and more ten times over to be with you."
Ilaria's lips trembled as she smoothed both her hands over Aley's shoulders and lifted her mouth to his.
Satesh watched the tender kiss the two shared, watched how Aley's muscles rippled as he fought not to press forward and demand more from the female he loved.
Satesh felt unneeded. Forgotten.
Though no sooner had he acknowledged the burning need for her, Ilaria wrapped her arms around Aley's shoulders and looked across to where he stood.
"I need your help tonight, Satesh."
"Help?" he ground out, wondering what fresh hell it would be to watch the two of them together and be excluded from whatever pleasure she had in mind.
Ilaria nodded, continuing to pet Aley like he needed soothing. "I need you to keep watch over us while I work. Protect us until I am finished."
"Finished with what?"
She took a deep breath and looked at something over his left shoulder. When he followed her gaze, Satesh saw nothing but blank space and some items to be shifted to their proper place.
“My body will fall into something similar to stasis and my heart will only beat three or four times per minute. It might look like I’ve fainted, but all you need to do is make sure I’m breathing."
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This sounded extremely dangerous, and when he said so, Ilaria's lips twitched. "I have practiced in small increments over the last few days. I am unconcerned."
Satesh narrowed his eyes at her, but Ilaria lost none of her confidence. "I still do not understand what you are going to do."
"I will explain later. Will you keep watch?"
Ilaria was trusting him with her life, what else could he say? "Yes."
Ilaria nodded and murmured for Aley to lie down on the pallet she had made in the center of the room.
Satesh goggled when she pushed her robe from her body and knelt beside Aley, completely naked. It was not the first time he had seen her nude, Ilaria was comfortable in her flesh.
But this time, her bare skin seemed to shimmer as though she had swallowed the rays of the moon. Ilaria reached up to twist her hair into a knot, the action causing her spine to arch and her breasts to lift in the most unintentionally sensual move Satesh had ever seen.
Aley must have thought the same, for his gaze moved over her body, appreciation, and arousal plain in his eyes.
Satesh shifted closer, transfixed when Ilaria leaned over and touched another kiss to Aley's lips. A quick, almost shy caress before she wrapped her slender fingers around Aley's jaw, holding his face as firmly as she held his gaze.
Her skin shimmered, but her eyes burned with purple fire. The pools of violet expanded, the whites of her eyes disappeared, swirling and dancing as though the color was a living galaxy inside the orbs
"Relax," she whispered to Aley, "Allow yourself to sink into the floor. Feel the heaviness of your body, the temperature of the air on your skin, the breath moving in and out of your lungs, the pulse of blood through your veins."
Satesh swayed forward, jolting back to awareness enough to realize he had almost fallen prey to the deeply hypnotic power of the deceptively small female kneeling on the floor. Her voice filled the entire room in ripples that grew in strength with every word she spoke. As she released Aley, Satesh noticed the Issite’s expression had glazed with relaxation, his lashes falling over the rose gold of his eyes, as though he had simply fallen asleep.
Satesh watched Ilaria’s swirling eyes close, her chest rising and falling with the deep breaths she took.
Her hands gracefully turned to lie palm up on her thighs, she tipped her head back, and her body crumpled to the floor. Collapsing in a heap as though the life had left her.
Despite her warning this might be the case, Satesh still felt fear turn his blood to ice as he leaped across the distance to check for her barely-there pulse.
He froze as the air around Ilaria's body vibrated, the shimmer disappearing from her skin, only to reappear in Aley's.
Aley's body jumped slightly as though he had been shocked with electricity, but otherwise, both of them lay still as death. Satesh waited, wondering if what he witnessed would even be believed if the story was retold.
Painfully bright beams of light thrust up from beneath Aley's flesh, moving like atmospheric distortion through his scars. The golden glow undulated and jumped in slow, rhythmic waves.
The twisted, bubbled skin that deformed Aley's face began to slough and fall to the sheet he lay on. Old wounds, brands, slices, and chunks of missing flesh from years of taking on the injuries of others, it all disappeared before Satesh's eyes to reveal smooth, healthy pink skin.
Without the scars, he could see the freckles which covered Aley’s triangular face. Two blocky brows appeared on a pronounced forehead, pale reddish gold curls sprouted across the Issite’s skull, and instead of a hideous, deformed creature, a perfectly formed male who appeared to have never felt the touch of a lash lay in his place.
It could have taken hours, but it seemed like only minutes passed.
Ilaria's heart was barely beating, her breath only a whisper across her lips. His alarm grew by the minute, and just as he bent to give her the breath in his lungs, her eyes snapped open, and she gasped as though she had been drowning.
Satesh snatched her up when she started to shake and convulse, her skin cold as ice, cradling her against his chest.
"Ilaria, look here. Look at me. Breathe, breathe with me. Slowly, that's it." He breathed with her until she was no longer gasping and struggling, holding her as tight as he dared, as close as he could, because she was so cold.
"Aley?" she croaked. Shivering so hard her teeth were clacking together.
Satesh tore his eyes off Ilaria long enough to see a vibrant flush to Aley's unbelievably flawless skin. His chest rose and fell in comfortable cadence, enough to say physically, Aley seemed in good health.
Satesh opened his mouth to tell Ilaria Aley was fine, but Aley awoke with a soft groan. The last ashen remnants of dead skin flaked from his body, crunching like brittle leaves as he sat up.
For some reason, Satesh found the sound revolting.
"I think he's alright. You're not, though. You're freezing, come on, into the bath."
Satesh had just walked down into the bathing pool when Aley stumbled in, eyes wide as he stared at his hands, touched his chest. Satesh wondered if he looked as shocked as Aley did.
Not one single scar or pockmark remained on the other male's skin, and despite having witnessed it firsthand, Satesh couldn't quite believe what Ilaria had done.
"The water will do you well, Aley. Come in." Ilaria murmured, smiling sleepily. She didn't move from where Satesh had curled her against his chest, seeming to be perfectly content to be held by him.
Aley didn't bother to drop his trousers before joining them, he just stumbled down the stairs and collapsed on the bench beside them.
"How...I never thought..." Aley struggled to speak, his eyes huge in his face when Ilaria reached out to palm his smooth, unrecognizable cheek.
If Satesh had not been present to see the transformation, he would not have believed this male to be Aley.
"Do you feel any discomfort?" Ilaria asked sleepily.
“N-no.”
“Good. I may sleep well into tomorrow, neither of you need be concerned.” So saying, Ilaria promptly fainted.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Aley~
His body hummed with Ilaria’s energy even almost a full day later, and he still couldn't believe what she had done to him. For him. Looking at himself in the viewer, Aley didn't recognize the male staring back at him.
Not one single blemish remained on his body, no brands of ownership, no scars from those he had healed, all of it was gone.
He hadn’t seen his unmarred skin since childhood.
He stared into Ilaria’s sleeping face, unable to believe the miracle lying before him. Ilaria had come to him yesterday and asked if he would allow her to try and see if one of her abilities had returned fully.
Of course, he had agreed, and the way she had described it, Aley thought she was going to try and smooth out the worst of the scars on his face. Boost his natural healing abilities in a small area to test how their energies could potentially worth together.
Not erase his scars from head to toe.
Salista had purchased him and commanded him to do whatever it took to ensure Ilaria survived, and even in his lowest moments hanging from some torture device or other in Salista's dungeon, Aley had done everything in his power to obey that command.
Not for fear of Salista's wrath, but for the love he felt for Ilaria. His devotion had already been absolute, but this was a gift he would never have thought could be possible.
"Has she woken yet?" Satesh placed a tray of food within easy reach for both of them, but Aley wasn't hungry just yet. He could eat later.
He was dying to see Ilaria's eyes open. To see her reaction upon waking to this face she had given back to him.
He shook his head, brushing his knuckles back and forth along the fine edge of her jaw.
"No, but her pulse is steady and strong. Hopefully, it won't be too much longer."
"You've been in love with her a long time," Satesh commented as the silence lengthened.
“I have no wish to take her from you,” Aley jolted, torn away from his study of Ilaria’s beautiful face, to Satesh’s hard, craggy features.
His expression must have betrayed his confusion, because Satesh lifted his chin, his hands clenching at his sides where he stood hovering on the other side of the bed.
“It was on her mind when we talked earlier. I don’t know if she meant for me to hear it, but I did, and even before she did…all that,” Satesh waved his hand at him, clearing his throat uncomfortably, “I wouldn’t have done anything to come between you,”
It was Aley’s first reaction to nod and accept what Satesh said as truth, not wanting to contradict him or invite his wrath. But it was the reaction of a slave, and he was a slave no longer.
“Your envy suggests otherwise,”
Satesh gave a mirthless chuff, reaching up to knead at the muscles at his nape, shaking his head while his amber gaze softened to roam over Ilaria.
She was nude beneath the blankets of his bed, her hair braided in a long rope over her shoulder, plaited carefully by the Dhjana’s rough hands.
“I am envious because she does not need me.”
“Why would you think that?”
Satesh gave a casual roll of his shoulder, though it was anything but. “Your survival and hers has been intertwined from the beginning. You leaned on one another through the darkest of hells and have grown strong as a couple.
“I could give her every ship, every resource, every mercenary at my disposal, and she would not need me the way she does you.”
It satisfied the animalistic part of his psyche to hear Satesh admit what Aley knew was the truth.
However, Satesh was making a significant gesture, a peace offering of sorts, and if Aley rejected it, he knew enough of the other male to say it would never happen again. The Exarch was proud, powerful, and not often denied his desires.
Ilaria was certain Satesh was to play a vital role in her mission to save whatever remained of her people, but Aley was certain there was more to that role than merely a generous benefactor.